Yi Yulgok and Anthology of Wisdom Learning by Tang Zhuo, 134 x 165cm Oil on Canvas, 2021

       李栗谷（1536－1584），名珥，号栗谷，是朝鲜李朝儒学家和哲学家，他提出“理气妙合”“气发理乘”等思想深化和丰富了中韩朱子学，李退溪和李栗谷并称朝鲜朱子学“双璧”。栗谷母亲姓申，号师任堂，是著名的书画家、文学家，母子二人的头像分别印在了50000韩元和5000韩元上。李栗谷是韩国儒学史上具有原创性的儒学家，1568年任书状官随使赴明朝，1578年，在今朝鲜境内黄海南道碧城郡士岘里风景名胜石潭九曲第五曲丛中，李栗谷建“隐屏精舍”收徒传授儒学，后他的门人弟子将这里辟为供奉赵光祖、退溪和栗谷的“绍贤书院”。

      绍贤书院是栗谷长期从事教学和著述的地方，画面展现的是李栗谷在书院的听溪堂外，手握着其倾尽全部精力整理出来的以“诚”为核心的著作《圣学辑要》的情景。他自述该书仿《大学》之指，以文次序，精选圣贤之言，以填实之，使节目详明。依栗谷之见，真正的学问必须基于人伦的德性涵养，故栗谷提出诚意正心之说。

   Yi I (1536-1584), known as “Yulgok” according to his pen name, was a prominent Confucian scholar and philosopher in the Joseon Dynasty. He put forward thoughts of “the close combination of principle (li) and qi” and “li starts and qi follows”, which further developed and enriched Zhu Xi’s Thought in China and Korea. As Korea’s two most eminent Neo-Confucian thinkers, Yi T’oegye and Yi Yulgok were known as the “Twin Stars” of Zhu Xi studies in Korea. Yulgok’s mother, who was named Shin Saimdang, was a famous painter and writer. Her and Yulgok’s pictures are printed on the 50, 000-won note and 5000-won note respectively. Yi Yulgok was an original Confucianist in the history of Korean Confucianism. In 1568, he visited the Ming court as a Section Chief in the Korean diplomatic mission. In 1578, Yi Yulgok established the “The Hidden Teaching Room” to take on students and taught them Confucianism in the scenic spot of Shihyeon-ri, Bicheng County, South Hwanghae Province in present-day North Korea. Later, his disciples turned this place into the “Sohyon Confusious School” for the worship of Jo Gwang-jo, Yi T’oegye and Yi Yulgok.

   The Sohyon Confusious School is where Yulgok taught students and wrote books for a long time. In this picture, beside the Tingxi Hall of the school, Yi Yulgok is holding his masterpiece “Anthology of Wisdom Learning” in his hand, into which he had put all his efforts compiling, with “Sincerity” as its core. He described the book was written by imitating the directions of the Great Learning, with the order of its text and a delicate selection of sages’ words to fill in the details and enrich the contents and chapters.

“文化互译，沟通世界”